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Renault F1 banned from Valencia race, appeals decision

Renault has been banned from the next race at Valencia, Spain, for a pit infringement that caused driver Fernando Alonso to lose a tire. The ruling is being appealed. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

The FIA has banned the Renault Formula One team from the next race in Valencia, Spain, for a pit infringement in Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix. Renault has appealed against the decision and a hearing is likely to take place within two weeks, so the decision could be reversed.

The prospect of two-time world champion and Spaniard Fernando Alonso, and his team, being absent will not go down well either with the race promoter or F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone.

The decision followed an incident during Alonso's first pit stop when the front right tire man failed to properly secure the wheel nut cover that effectively confirms that the wheel nut is firmly in place. The cover is usually turned so that it locks into the wheel. When Alonso left the pits, the cover was flapping around; Alonso sensed something was wrong as he got onto the track.

The metal cover then flew off at turn five and later in the lap, at turn nine, the wheel also departed. Fortunately it bounced onto the grass without doing any harm. Alonso returned to the pits having dropped to the rear of the field, and retired for good after a second stop.

The FIA examined TV footage which showed the wheel man trying to put the locking device on when the car left the pits. The stewards determined that the team was aware that there was a potential problem with a loose nut when Alonso left the pits, but did nothing to stop or warn the driver. In fact Alonso radioed in to say he had a puncture.

The team is accused of not behaving responsibly by not warning the driver or ordering him to stop.

The team was thus penalized under Article 23.1i of the Sporting Regulations: "It is the responsibility of the competitor to release his car after a pit stop only when it is safe to do so." It was also sanctioned under Article 3.2: "Competitors must ensure that their cars comply with the conditions of eligibility and safety throughout practice and the race."

In light of the life-threatening incident that saw Ferrari's Felipe Massa struck in the head by an errant spring from the Brawn GP car of Rubens Barrichello during qualifying--and the death of Formula Two driver Henry Surtees a week ago after he was struck by a loose wheel and tire--the question of objects flying off of cars is suddenly a sensitive one. However, FIA sources denied that recent events specifically influenced today's decision.

The stewards could have given a financial penalty up to a maximum of $50,000, but felt that the offense was a serious one, and demanded further punishment. The FIA could reduce the sentence at the hearing.

Renault team manager Steve Nielsen was unable to study the TV footage in depth prior to meeting the stewards, but the team now has time to gather more evidence.